A Maori teen faces parental and social pressure while leading his competitive hip-hop dance crew toward the regional championships, in this exhilarating feature directorial debut from New Zealand actor Tammy Davis.

Born to Dance

Tammy Davis

The feature directorial debut of New
Zealand actor Tammy Davis, this electrifying
drama follows a fiercely talented young
dancer on his mission to show the world
what he was born to do.

Tu (Tia-Taharoa Maipi) and his friends
share a love for hip-hop dancing, trading
moves in the streets every chance they
get. They dream of winning the regional
competition, but everyone knows that the
formidable K-Crew are all but guaranteed to
take the prize. What's more, the three-time
world champions are based on Auckland's
North Shore, many miles and economic
strata away from Tu's modest, predominantly
Maori neighbourhood.

When K-Crew members catch a YouTube
video of Tu dancing, they invite him to audition
— though simply making it to tryouts
will prove a challenge, as Tu's life is anything
but simple. His father insists that he enlist
in the army and requires him to rise every
morning at dawn to prepare for boot camp.
He also works at a recycling plant, but is
in danger of getting fired because he keeps
covering for a pot-dealing pal who uses
the plant as a base of operations. And then
there's the small problem of Tu's falling for
the K-Crew captain's girl. As the regionals
loom nearer, he will have to make some hard
choices — and ultimately discover his own
path to success.

In the tradition of Breakin', Beat Street,
and Billy Elliot, Born to Dance is a showcase
for dazzling, high-energy moves, a film
bursting with the exaltation of young people
discovering their potential.